Indoor rowing machines were once confined mainly to high school and college rowing crews. Now rowing machines are everywhere says Xeno Muller, a California-based online rowing coach who won the gold medal in the men’s single scull at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and the silver medal in Sydney four years later.

“All the crazy fitness people, they love that machine because they can go at it as wildly as possible and the machine doesn’t break,” he says.

Ergometers are non-weight bearing machines and are easy on the ankles and knees, Mueller says, but using them requires a bit of technique.

“Rowing is great because you get to sit down, and most of your weight is on your seat,” he says.